


Hidden Truths

by nagisa-sensei (komaedakibou)



Category: Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Alternate Universe, Body mutilation, Crime Scenes, Death, F/F, F/M, Hannibal inspired AU, M/M, WILL ADD MORE TAGS AS I UPDATE, mentions of needles
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-25
Updated: 2019-08-08
Packaged: 2020-07-19 14:20:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 19,997
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19975492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/komaedakibou/pseuds/nagisa-sensei
Summary: The truth, justice, fairness... these were all things that Shuichi Saihara held near and dear to his heart. Those things are what led him to become a detective despite having no interest in the job, and why he can't bring himself to quit despite how much damage it did to him each and every day.One would suggest for him to see a professional to work out his problems, but how was he supposed to get better when his appointed psychiatrist is Kokichi Ouma? They were complete opposites, and even though Kokichi was well known for his amazing work, there was just something about him that rubbed Shuichi the wrong way. How was a liar able to become a psychiatrist in the first place, and why was he so insistent on them getting to know each other better?He had no idea, but his desire for the truth meant that he kept going back to that office for yet another conversation. No matter what it took, he wanted to overcome all obstacles thrown his way.[Hannibal (tv series) inspired DRV3 AU]





	1. Bon Appétit

**Author's Note:**

> Hello and thank you for giving my fic a shot! I've been wanting to write a Hannibal inspired fic for ages, and this idea came to me and I just had to write it. You don't need to have seen the tv series to read this, but it will add a lot of extra layers on top of everything because I've assigned a few Hannibal roles to the DRV3 cast (for example, Shuichi takes on a similar role to Will Graham, and Kokichi takes on a similar role to Hannibal) but there's a lot of twists and adjustments to make it work for the DRV3 cast. Since I've only worked on a bit of it, I haven't added many tags yet but they'll be updated as things appear in the story. I hope you enjoy!

A most fantastic and extravagant display sat on a decently sized and decorated dining table between them. Candles were all that illuminated the room, bringing the soft features of the man sitting across from him to his attention. Purple eyes seemed to stare deeply into his soul, watching him in what appeared to be anticipation from the moment he set their plates down and took his seat. His lips were parted slightly, his tongue darting out to wet them every once in a while as he waited in silence. The sight made him feel… strange, like he was being tested or analysed somehow.

What appeared to be vintage china plates with pale blue birds decorating them held one of the most succulent looking meals he’d ever seen in his life. It was a bit overwhelming to see something of such high quality made just for him, but he tried to not let it show on his face.

_‘It’s pork loin with red fruit cumberland sauce,’_ the other had told him once he put the plates on the table, letting out what he could only call a soft chuckle full of pride. There had been a strange adoration in the man’s eyes as he spoke, but it was promptly ignored in favour of how delicious the food in front of him looked and how hungry he actually felt. _‘I made it just for you, so I hope that you like it detective!’_

Normally he’d probably be annoyed by such a comment, but the atmosphere was surprisingly relaxing. Where he would normally be tense, he found himself relaxing in his seat. It was also high quality with a soft cushion, making him wonder where it was purchased from. Was everything the other had so fantastic, or was he simply showing off…?

Anyone who looked upon the scene would think they were on a date or romantic outing, especially with the dimmed lights and low classical music filling the room with an aura of tranquillity. It was nothing of the sort though… it was purely a meeting between himself and his psychiatrist who claimed to be worried about his eating habits - or lack thereof - so he’d made him an early dinner during their ‘special session’. It probably wasn’t at all appropriate and felt extremely _planned_ , but he couldn’t bring himself to refuse the offer. Not when the other was so well known for his ability to make amazing food.

Even if it was planned, he had no idea what his companion would stand to gain from making him eat. It was strange that he’d go so far out of his way to bring so much from his home just to treat someone who should just be a client to a meal in his work office.

“What’s with this atmosphere, Kokichi?” He asked, watching for any sort of reaction that could tell him if he should be concerned. All Kokichi did was lick his lips again, closing them firmly and leaning forward to now rest his chin in his palm. “This isn’t exactly… professional.”

Picking up his already half full glass of wine, he took a sip and wondered if he should wait to eat. The utensils on the table in front of him seemed to be calling out to him, begging him to pick them up and use them. It took all his willpower to stop himself from acting upon his urges, shifting his gaze to Kokichi and holding it there. The response was more important in that moment, and he was truly curious as to what kind of explanation he would get.

“Hmm, I wonder…” Kokichi hummed, tilting his head to the side in what he perceived to be mock thought. There was no way he seriously had to think about it. “I just thought it’d be nice is all. If you don’t like it, I’ll get rid of the candles and use the lights instead.”

It felt like the other was saddened at the thought of doing that, making Shuichi let out a gentle sigh. It wasn’t like it bothered him though, so he wasn’t going to ask him to change it. The lack of professionalism just rubbed him the wrong way since he had no idea where he stood or what purpose their meeting really served. Not that Kokichi had ever acted like a psychiatrist typically should… Shuichi was sure they’d crossed a line in one of the very first sessions he’d been forced to attend and they’d had a weird relationship ever since.

“I don’t really care…” he replied dismissively, tapping his fingers on the table lightly. “Though you didn’t comment on how absolutely unprofessional this is. Are you even allowed to do this?”

Pressing his lips into a thin line, Kokichi seemed to get annoyed for a moment before he went back to his usual amused and slightly curious demeanour. He was hard to read, but Shuichi always found it interesting to catch those moments where he revealed his true colours. With how secretive he was, he was sure that it was an extremely rare occurrence.

“I see, I see,” he said lowly, shifting and dropping his hands to the table. “We could always see this as a dinner between friends. We’re not on the record and I’m _technically_ on my break so this is my time and I’m free to spend my time however I wish.”

In the end, it always seemed to come to that - wanting to be ‘friends’. Shuichi had absolutely no intention of befriending his damn psychiatrist, but he would be lying if he said the man didn’t intrigue him. There was so little he actually knew about him, and it felt like most of the time he was putting on a mask instead of being true to himself.

_Who is Kokichi Ouma?_

The question was asked by many, its answer completely unknown. It was behind thick smoke and mirrors, so well hidden away that it was a wonder that Kokichi even knew who he was anymore.

There were theories in the air, spread around by many people who wanted to unravel the story of a man with a silver tongue. Some of them included illegal activities and some were just sob stories about his poor childhood home life that led him to not trust others. It was all hearsay - not a single shred of evidence to support any of the claims made - but he honestly wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of them were true. All that was known was that Kokichi had trained hard to master a few choice fields, but ultimately ended up in psychiatry where he just so happened to have the most influence if he wanted to take advantage of others.

The thought had crossed his mind that Kokichi could be some kind of evil mastermind, but if he was then why would he be trusted in the care of others? Who would have ever allowed an evil man to become licensed? There were far too many questions and holes in the theories, but as a patient he’d gotten the opportunity to find the truth.

If Kokichi was a bad person, he’d put an end to it. If he wasn’t a bad person, then he’d… possibly give him a chance to be something akin to a friend in the far distant future.

The truth… the truth was what drove Shuichi in life. Even if it were the truth of someone like Kokichi, he yearned for it and wanted to take hold of that knowledge. It was a low-hanging apple that was just out of his reach, but oh so close to his fingertips and it made him excited. If he were to find out the truth about Kokichi, perhaps he’d even feel like he deserved the title of ‘detective’.

“Well then, Kokichi,” he replied, deciding not to comment on the ‘friends’ topic. “If this is your _personal time_ , I suppose it’d be all right for me to ask _you_ some personal questions, right?”

His heart started to race as soon as the words left his mouth. Unravelling the mystery of Kokichi Ouma… would he allow it? What thoughts were running through his head when he heard that question? Would he pull away and retreat, or would he extend a hand? If he wanted to be _friends_ , then now was the chance to actually prove that he was serious about it.

Kokichi inhaled sharply, like he was completely taken aback. His eyes seemed to light up, life erupting within them and shining just as stars would. It made Shuichi hold his breath without realising, a strange feeling building up in his stomach and making him feel sick. Biting his lip, he had to look away and decided to rest his eyes on the food waiting to be consumed as he calmed himself down.

That wasn’t the reaction he was expecting, but it looked like Kokichi was _happy_. The candlelight made him look almost ethereal, his purple eyes shimmering in what seemed to be genuine, unabashed joy. It was the first time he’d witnessed such an expression on his psychiatrists face.

_“Shuichi…”_ Kokichi breathed his name softly, so soft that he only just barely heard it over the sound of _Trois Gymnopedies_ by _Erik Satie_. There was a vulnerability in it that caught him off guard, but a small voice in his head told him to be wary of its authenticity. “You never cease to amaze me, you know? I’ll tell you what, I’ll tell you anything you want… once you start to eat and tell me what you think.”

Despite his words, the other made no move to pick up his own utensils to begin eating, instead seeming to focus even more on Shuichi. Kokichi’s eyes flickered from his eyes to his hands, waiting impatiently for signs of movement.

Shuichi caved without much resistance. He was hungry for food and information, and the simple act of trying the delicious looking food in front of him would give him everything he needed in that moment. There was not a single doubt in his mind that it tasted just as good as it appeared, so he picked up his cutlery and began to finally eat.

Somehow, it tasted even better than it looked. His mouth salivated from the taste that hit his taste buds, his hunger growing even further. Kokichi smiled when he noticed just how much he was enjoying it, his hands moving quicker than they ever had to bring more of the meal to his lips.

“…Good,” he said, watching as Kokichi finally moved to eat as well with a small, satisfied smile on his face. “Better than good. This is… amazing.”

Amazing was an understatement. Shuichi was sure that the food he was eating would be fit for the gods, if they did exist. A part of him felt it was too good for him, that he didn’t deserve it, but the look plastered on Kokichi’s face stopped him from voicing anything that wasn’t praise.

“It looks like I made the right call, hm?” Kokichi commented, letting out a laugh. “You can’t stop eating it now, right? It makes you want _more_ , right? This makes me happy. I’ve always wanted to cook for you.”

As innocent as he looked and as genuine as he sounded, those words put him on edge. Right after them, he almost expected to hear a loud, _‘It’s a lie!’,_ but those words never came.

What exactly was Kokichi trying to accomplish by feeding him? It couldn’t all just be about him wanting to be friends… there had to be something else, something he couldn’t quite piece together yet. Perhaps finally asking some questions would shed some light on what was going on in that mind of his?

“I’m going to ask you questions now,” Shuichi said when he was able to slow his eating, pressing his lips firmly together and restricting himself. Now was his chance and he was going to take it. “Why did you decide to take me on as a client?”

Kokichi raised an eyebrow, lowering his hand and looking almost a bit bored. That look made Shuichi feel like he’d chosen the wrong kind of question to start off with, disappointing even himself with its normalcy. The reaction he wanted was the one he’d seen before, the one where purple eyes sparkled in pure glee at the appearance of someone who understood him and had the courage to call him out and question him. It was a question that he selfishly wanted the answer to though, so he remained firm and awaited a reply.

“I was forced,” he said after a few moments of silence, his voice sounding weak and almost pitiful. It was a tone he’d never heard before and he didn’t like it one bit, especially when it was paired with the content of his words. “I was practically threatened at gun point - _‘he’s a great detective with amazing potential,’_ they said to me, though I had no idea why I was being told such things. _‘But he’s too dangerous to use when he’s so messed up in the head. Fix him so he’s not a danger to himself or others and we’ll keep your secrets exactly that… secrets.’_ It was scary, so I had no choice…”  
  
_Liar…_

The word repeated in his head like a mantra, but he didn’t dare to speak out loud. There was no way that Kokichi feared someone enough to succumb to their wishes without a fight and he always did whatever he wanted without a care in the world. Nobody in their right mind would dare to threaten him either, not with his history and the mystery surrounding him. Who out there would know enough about him to make him scared, or have information that could be used against him?

Yet… somehow, the words also rang true.

In all honesty, he wouldn’t be surprised if someone wanted to use him. Ever since he’d accidentally solved a huge serial killer case that had everyone scratching their heads and giving up, people treated him like he was some kind of _ultimate detective…_ but that’s not what he was. Although he’d admired detectives and their hard work, he never really aspired to be one. He’d been scouted by many people, but he had to be careful with what he chose because he’d grown to be fearful of the truth when it caused harm to others. He was too… emotional, too attached to the people around him even if he didn’t know them personally. It’d gotten him into a lot of situations where he ended up hurting himself and dropping cases out of the blue because he couldn’t handle the pressure.

What kind of detective did that? Certainly not a competent one. This is why he refused to refer to himself as a detective, and he declined most of the cases that came his way. Despite how adamant he was in saying no, there were still two people who actively sought him out to attempt to hire him… _Kyoko Kirigiri_ and _Izuru Kamukura_. Their attempts never failed to surprise him, especially when someone like him probably shouldn’t be in charge of anything. There was too much instability and doubt buried inside of him that would most likely always be with him.

“You’re lying,” he said when he could, narrowing his eyes. He watched Kokichi so closely that he could pick up on even the most minute movement or twitch, but there were no signs of anything that might reveal what the truth was. The man was too good at masking everything, too good at putting up a facade and making people believe anything he wanted them to. “As if you’d give in so easily.”

The other went from completely emotionless to completely amused in a split second, his usual expression on his face once again as he laughed.

“Yeah, yeah, you’re right… it’s a lie,” he replied, still laughing. “You should have seen how serious your face went when I said that! It was almost like you believed me… but yeah, I’d never let someone scare me. I just wanted to talk to you, Shuichi. I’ve heard a lot about your work and thought it would be fun to get to know you.”

…Perhaps getting to know who Kokichi Ouma is would be a harder feat than he expected. That was what drove him though, right? A challenging mystery that nobody else has been able to solve is something that tended to catch his eye, either purposely or accidentally. It helped that nobody would be judging him if he failed, and getting to know the other man _shouldn’t_ result in the pain and death of others.

“That’s pretty plain,” he replied, likely looking bored himself. The ‘lie’ he was told was bouncing around in his head, refusing to be accepted as just a joke. It felt like it was partially true in some way, although he couldn’t pinpoint exactly what had him so suspicious of it. “Well, sorry to disappoint you, but I’m not interesting at all.”

It almost looked like Kokichi wanted to protest, but he held himself back. Instead he took a bite out of his food and had a sip of his wine, leaning back in his seat and letting out a drawn out sigh.

He took the opportunity to continue eating more of the food as well, not once looking away from the man across from him. For some reason, he didn’t want to miss a single thing. He wanted to see every expression and every movement he made. How else was he to understand who the person in front of him was? He had to observe and memorise what he did, how he acted, and then separate the truth from the lies.

“Sometimes the truth is painful, Shuichi,” he said, sounding rather serious. Of course, they both knew just how familiar Shuichi was with that fact. Painful truths haunted his every waking moment and twisted his dreams into nightmares that were so real that he never knew when he was awake or asleep. Being a detective - if you could truly call him that - only made it so much worse, since he saw just how cruel the world could be first-hand on a regular basis. “But sometimes it’s better to feel that pain and understand just how awful the world is. It’s better to be knowledgeable than to be an ignorant idiot who wants to pretend that everything is sunshine and rainbows,” he stopped only to let out a frustrated sigh, maintaining eye contact as he did. “You’d know that better than anyone, right? Why do you think that I lie all the time?”

The conversation had turned so quickly that he had to straighten up in his seat before taking a moment to think about it. What was Kokichi trying to say by bringing such things up out of the blue? Was it some sort of… test?

Even if it was, he would inevitably accept such a challenge. He’d already made a decision to be the one to understand completely, to see through the lies and find out who the real man behind them was. What else could he do? They were forced to see each other regularly and there was no escaping from interacting with him when they crossed paths on the job often. The very same people who wanted Shuichi sought out Kokichi for his vast knowledge and endless wealth of valuable information.

Their fates were sealed from the first moment they laid eyes on each other. No matter how much they protested or tried to avoid each other, destiny dictated that they always find each other in the end…

He’d tried to avoid Kokichi at first, he really did.

The first time they met was during the first job he’d decided to tackle in a while, and Shuichi had been observing a rather morbid scene. It was the fifth time someone had been found the way that person had, their lifeless body hanging from the ceiling and their bare chest used as a canvas. The murderer had etched a sunrise into their skin and it had both revolted him and intrigued him at the same time.

Those who mindlessly hurt others disgusted him, but after analysing all of the clues… sometimes it felt like they’d done the right thing. There had been people in the past that he’d revealed the truth about only for him to feel like the most horrible person in the world because of it, like a poor girl who accidentally killed her abuser trying to get away from him and got life because of it. How was he supposed to sleep at night when his discovery of the truth ruined her life? And she wasn’t the only one who didn’t deserve the fate she’d met…

He didn't find many clues that time because Kokichi had arrived at the scene, a lazy smile on his face. The way he looked at the body was like it was a rare piece of art that spoke volumes, and Shuichi felt like he had to figure out what was so meaningful about it.

They stood side by side in silence, looking at the body as though it were nothing but a lifelike sculpture. When he thought of it that way, he could focus on how much talent the person who did it must have had. It was done so precisely, so beautifully that he’d probably pay to have a normal canvas in his own home. He wondered what the sunrise would look like with colours. Would they be warm and comforting, or cold and isolating? What kind of sunrise did the artist see in their heart, and what did it mean to them…?

_‘I’m Kokichi Ouma,’_ Kokichi introduced himself after a while, glancing at Shuichi from the corner of his eye. _‘Kamukura asked me to come and look at this one because he thought I might have an idea of who did it. No idea what made him think that, though.’_

He didn’t reply, not knowing what to say. He wasn’t there to be sociable, nor was he planning on getting comfortable with someone who looked at a dead body like it was nothing more than a simple object.

Kokichi didn’t try to speak to him for a while after that, though he felt the man staring at him more than once. He was sure he was being judged, but he couldn’t care less, instead focusing on searching the crime scene for any evidence or clues to who the perpetrator might be. All he could really figure out was that they must have needed help to lift the body up, since it was held in the air by two chains that were connected to opposite corners of the room. They would’ve had to be tugged on at both ends for it to be so stable and perfectly centered in the room, and the body looked to be too heavy for one person to lift on their own in the first place.

None of the crime scenes before it seemed to point towards there being an accomplice, so he found it strange. Was this the work of someone else, had they found help along the way, or was he just missing some information that might not have been documented at the previous crime scenes? He didn’t know, but he’d find out eventually, he figured.

_‘Aha!’_ Kokichi exclaimed to himself, making Shuichi jump as he remembered he wasn’t alone. He turned towards the smiling man with a million questions on the tip of his tongue, but his lips remained firmly pressed together in stubborn silence. _‘Oh, did I startle you? Sorry, sorry,’_ he said, turning toward Shuichi with an expression that said everything he did was perfectly intentional and he wasn’t apologetic at all. _‘I know why Kamukura called me here now. The question is… do you? I’m curious, Shuichi. Do you know why you’re here?’_

Shuichi frowned. When did the man learn his name, and why was he talking to him like they knew each other? It made him feel on edge, like he’d forgotten something.

_‘I’m… a detective. I know you’re not, so why are you here exactly? Are you even supposed to be here?’_

Kokichi laughed, moving to stand right in Shuichi’s personal space. They were standing so close that he could feel the warmth of his breath against his cheek. It sent chills down his spine and it took all his willpower to stand his ground and not back away from the sudden intrusion.

_‘Oh, I see, yes, of course I knew that already,’_ he smirked as he spoke, eyes lighting up in childish excitement. _‘I’m here for you. I’ve been hired as your personal psychiatrist and as an observer so you don’t get up to no good.’_ The disgust and distrust on Shuichi’s face must have been obvious, since Kokichi suddenly changed his attitude to one that wasn’t so carefree. _‘You don’t believe me? Ask Kamukura or Kirigiri. Hell, look inside yourself for the answers. The way you were looking at this dead body was kinda concerning, you know!’_

Stiffening, he glared at the shorter man with so much animosity that it could kill. Just who did Kokichi think he was, coming in out of nowhere and claiming such things? Who did he think he was, acting familiar and confirming his worst fears?

_‘Nobody trusts you to do the right thing anymore,’_ his mind screeched at him, refusing to let him ignore that piece of information. Izuru and Kirigiri were probably afraid of him being on his own because it seemed like he could very easily become the next culprit for them to chase down… _‘Everyone thinks you’ve gone crazy.’_

His mind spun, his body trembling as he stumbled forward. Kokichi caught him for some reason, his arms a lot stronger than he expected for someone who looked so small and timid.

_'Wow, you believed me? That was obviously a lie,'_ Kokichi said, though he knew that those words weren’t true at all. After what happened, it wasn’t surprising that people were suspicious of him. _'I am a psychiatrist though and I will be working with you. Kamukura always asks me to do mental health checks on people he works with, just in case. So don’t take it personally, ‘kay?'_

Shuichi took it very personally, violently escaping from Kokichi’s secure hold. A smirk was present on his face and it made him want to punch it off, but he convinced himself to walk away instead to give himself a chance calm down.

Kokichi was hard to read then, though he’d gotten a bit better at it with time. It’d been a month since that strange meeting in that worn down building and he’d regretted taking on that case ever since. Izuru wouldn’t let him give up and Kokichi wouldn’t leave him alone, though he’d… gotten used to their company, as loathe as he was to admit it. Even if Kokichi made him suspicious and put him on edge, there was a predictability to his actions and words that made him feel at ease as well.

The fact of the matter was that they were stuck together and that was that. At the moment it was because of the _Tortured Killer Artist_ and once he found whoever it was, it would be because of the next killer. It was a never-ending cycle of torture that he’d been caught in and now he had no choice but to see it through to the end.

Looking at Kokichi in that moment, he really wasn’t much different. He mixed truth with lies so often that it was clear to see that he had some major trust issues for whatever reason. It must’ve been bad to make him act in such a way and he was sure he’d figure it out in time. For now, he found comfort in seeing just how much he’d improved at noticing what each expression meant and what the tone of his voice conveyed. It was nowhere near easy, but it was getting easier, so he wasn’t as threatened by the strange presence as he had been the first time that guy had gotten into his face and started talking to him out of nowhere.

He had no idea if it was actually Izuru who hired Kokichi to be his psychiatrist, but he wouldn’t be surprised. Kokichi didn’t take on clients often anymore, instead reserving his time to do… whatever it is he did. That was something he still hadn’t quite figured out yet. Maybe it was cooking?

Either way, the man was looking at him with an inquisitive look on his face. It felt like maybe Kokichi wanted to be analysed as well, to be dissected and put back together so someone in the world would properly understand just what he comprised of, just as he’d been doing to Shuichi since they started their sessions.

Lacing his fingers together, he narrowed his eyes and started to think. Why would Kokichi lie all the time? It couldn’t purely be because he found the truth painful, he was sure about that much… but he didn’t quite have all the pieces yet. There had to be something more, some vital clue that he overlooked somewhere along the way…

“…I’m a detective, not a mind reader,” he said, sensing a bit of disappointment from the other at his bland response. He wasn’t there to throw around accusations or entertain his psychiatrist though, so he couldn’t care less and kept his half baked deductions to himself. “I don’t know what you expect from me, Kokichi. I don’t know what you want from me at all. Why don’t you just tell me straightforwardly what’s on your mind?”

Kokichi frowned, pouting slightly. That wasn’t the answer he wanted at all, but it was Shuichi’s time to ask questions for once and he didn’t want to be redirected.

“That’s right, you’re not. I’m a little sad though, because I thought you were smart enough to figure it out by now… not that I’d tell you even if you were right.” Kokichi snickered, a carefree smile slipping onto his face once again. “Aw, that’s no fun. You’re ruining all my fun, Shuichi! I want to hear your deductions, your evidence, your opinions… I want to argue with you and see how confident you are in your ability. Where’s the fun in me just handing everything over to you on a silver platter?”

Shuichi sighed heavily, closing his eyes and realising just how tired he was feeling. When was the last time he even slept? He lost count of how many days he’d stayed up late analysing evidence and thinking about everything.

“We can argue literally any other time than now,” he sighed again, pinching the bridge of his nose. Dealing with this strange, childish man was going to be the end of him. “You said I could ask you questions, so stop avoiding them. Answer me.”

Huffing, Kokichi finished the rest of his food and moved his plate. He then proceeded to unceremoniously throw his upper half onto the table, letting a long, drawn out sigh of annoyance.

“You’re no fun,” he muttered, making Shuichi lean closer to hear him. “Okay, whatever. I lie because it’s easy, of course. What’s the point in being honest to someone who will use the truth against you? What’s the point in letting people in when all it does is give them easy access to your back so they can stab it at any given moment? Life is fucked up, Shuichi, and we’ve been through similar things now. We’re not like other people.”

Eyes widening, he waited to see if the other would say anything more. Despite asking for answers, he didn’t expect to actually get them. He at least assumed they would be roundabout answers that would be vague and up to interpretation, but… that was pretty straightforward. There was one question he had, though, and it was…

“We’re not like other people?”

“No, we aren’t.”

“…Elaborate?”

Heart pounding, he watched Kokichi closely as the man lifted himself back up. The look that he received was one of frustration and hesitance, but he didn’t care. He needed to know what he meant by that.

“Will you be friends with me, Shuichi?” He asked softly, looking down at the table so his face was hidden from view.

Shuichi didn’t reply because his answer was still a firm no. Unlike Kokichi, he wasn’t about to lie and manipulate others to get the results he wanted.

Kokichi remained silent as well, standing up to take his plate away without so much as a glance at the curious detective. As he disappeared to who knows where, the music turned off, completely changing the mood of the room. It went from calming to anxiety-inducing so quickly that he honestly wasn’t sure if he should stay or leave.

Ignoring the urge to flee, he finished the rest of his own food in silence, alone and lost in the endless abyss that was his mind. It was like torture, but he clung to the hope that the other would reappear and give him the answers he sought, despite how unlikely it was to happen.

Just as he expected, Kokichi didn’t return.


	2. Sakizuke

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shuichi tries to relax and make friends, but Kaede is sent to inform him of a recent crime that has been committed.

In the days following his 'special session' with Kokichi, Shuichi decided it was about time to focus on himself. It had been so long since he last had free time, so he jumped at the chance to take it easy, gather his thoughts and relax. There was nothing on his schedule yet until his next session with Kokichi which wasn't for another week, and Izuru hadn't called him or sent any messages about work. 

Breaks were something he rarely took advantage of, but he treasured them all the same. The lack of urgency in what he had to do gave his mind time to settle, although he spent a lot of his 'free time' going over evidence. It was always good to go back over all the clues with different frames of mind and perspective, so whenever his mood shifted he'd go back to the drawing board to see if there was anything he'd missed previously. There hadn't been any breakthroughs as of yet, but he felt like he was getting close to... _something_.

When he wasn't keeping to himself or looking over evidence, he volunteered at local events. Anything that kept his mind busy was like a godsend to him. More often than not, he'd get lost in his thoughts and work... it was getting out of hand quickly, so he needed to make sure he regulated it somehow.

It was quite obvious, even to him, that he was unhealthy in more ways than one. Mentally, he was too obsessive for his own good and had trust issues so strong that he was _almost_ a complete shut-in. Physically, he was always fatigued and forgot to eat and drink even on his good days.

The volunteer work gave him a reason to go out and feel like his life might actually have meaning and purpose. Being in the sun did wonders for his mood, so it proved to be really good for his health in the most general sense. Having the chance to help himself as well as others at the same time made him incredibly happy.

Getting himself out there also helped him form much needed connections with others, even though being surrounded by unfamiliar people made him anxious. It was always a pleasant surprise when he managed to meet nice people... it was even better when said people genuinely wanted to talk to him and showed in interest in maybe becoming friends.

Even if it took a lifetime, he wanted to improve himself and his quality of life. One of his main goals was to become better, to overcome the fears that prevented him from actually _living_. One day he wouldn't be so afraid and he'd stop avoiding things, and when that day actually came he might finally understand what true happiness was. It was something he looked forward to, even though he was a bit... negative.

Each day he got closer to his goal, even if it didn't feel like it. He just had to keep taking on each day as they came with as positive of an attitude as he could muster. It was tough, but it would be worth it in the end when he actually could look back and see how much progress he'd made. 

Today was supposed to be one of those good and rewarding days he so eagerly looked forward to. There was a sports event nearby where some of the local children were able to learn from people who played semi-professionally. It was a bit of a travel to get there from his house, but he felt rejuvenated the moment he arrived. Most of the children already seemed to have gathered alongside their parents, eagerly pointing toward people they recognised and jumping about with boundless energy.

Kokichi’s words from their last session constantly rang about in his head, but he tried his best to ignore it. Combined with the brick wall he’d hit in his case, it felt like he had too much weighing on his shoulders…

But all that was going to change, and it was going to change now! With renewed energy, he set about actively making the day a great one.

After checking in with the event organiser, he was given a short checklist of things to do. The first thing was to greet the parents and their children, then he went about setting up any of the equipment that wasn’t ready yet.

“You look like shit,” someone said as he found something to do. He looked up to see who it was, and it was one of the few possible friends he’d made that seemed to enjoy his company. “Work got you down?”

At first, he didn’t know how to respond. Hoping that the topic would conveniently be changed, he suddenly felt very keen to fix the loose tennis net he’d found. A part of him wanted to talk about it which was dangerous, so he had no choice but to silently hold his tongue until he thought of something safe to say. There would be hell to pay if he acted stupidly now by complaining about his shitty job without a care in the world to a civilian.

Given the fact that he was at a sports event, he should have prepared himself for such a situation. They were bound to run into each other eventually, but he’d taken on the work so suddenly that he didn’t have time to mentally prepare himself for such a conversation.

The man staring patiently at him was Ryoma Hoshi, an amazing tennis player. He was so revered that Shuichi felt like they definitely shouldn’t be friends, but the other man always approached him to see how he was doing despite how unworthy he was of friendship from such a great man. It was kind of him and definitely appreciated, he just… didn’t think he deserved such kindness at all.

Mentally cursing himself for being so pessimistic, he tried to change his method of thinking. Ryoma chose to talk to him despite everything, so that had to mean _something_.

There wasn’t a single doubt in his mind that the other would one day be extremely famous. Honestly, he was surprised that he wasn’t being hounded by people wanting to scout him already. Unless they were and he just refused… but what reason would he have to do that? He was extremely talented, fast, observant, and his skill surpassed all others he’d seen before.

Well, it wasn’t like he knew that much about Ryoma in the first place. They’d only spoken on and off a few times whenever they ran into each other, so there could be a lot of reasons why he might refuse if people were trying to scout him.

Once he ran out of things to do, he hesitantly stepped away from the now very secure net and shyly made eye contact.

It was times like these where he wished he was actually good at lying. At the very least, he’d like to be able to pretend that everything was okay, but he had the worst poker face.

“…Thanks,” he replied, giving the other a small smile. “I guess you could say that, but I’ll live.”

That was simple enough, right? He should understand that Shuichi couldn’t exactly go around talking about whatever he wanted without fear of the consequences.

Ryoma looked concerned, but he didn’t push for any details. That was also something that he really liked about the man, he didn’t try to overstep his boundaries and had respect for others. He never tried to force anyone to do anything, he simply offered an ear to those who needed it and it was up to the individual to take up the offer or not. Shuichi didn’t really get along with nosy people, especially considering the fact that he had a job that required him to keep a lot of information confidential.

“You’ll be fine,” the other said, patting his shoulder firmly before stepping away thoughtfully. “I know there’s a lot you can’t tell me, but if you ever need any help, I’m here.”

To further prove his point, he even offered him a piece of paper with his number on it. Not wanting to seem rude and trying not to look too excited, he took it with a sharp nod.

Surprised, he couldn’t stop his eyes from widening and giving away exactly how he felt about the whole situation. As nice as he thought Ryoma was, he thought he might be the type of person who kept to himself and put people at a distance. Perhaps his deduction was wrong?

Or perhaps… perhaps the man wanted something from him? It wouldn’t be the first time someone tried to use him for information. That was one of the many reasons why he had trust issues in the first place.

Biting the inside of his lip, he tried to stop himself from thinking that way. Ryoma hadn’t done anything to make him suspicious, he was a good guy. There was no way he’d go out of his way just to use Shuichi for information, and even if he tried it wouldn’t work. He’d learned his lesson and he was careful about who he associated with. Nobody would pull the wool over his eyes ever again.

“T-Thanks,” he stuttered, letting out a nervous chuckle. There was no reaction to how pathetic he sounded and probably looked at least, so he was glad about that. Quickly trying to change the topic, he looked at his watch and saw it was almost time for the event to start. “So, um, what’s your schedule for today?”

At that question, it seemed like the tables had turned. Now _Ryoma_ looked nervous, his face going slightly red as he awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. It seemed like he was trying to look anywhere else, but each child he laid eyes on only seemed to his nerves intensify.

“Uh,” he closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to calm down. “The squirts will rotate between sports and the players in groups, so I should be pretty busy today with this turnout. I’m feeling pretty glad that I asked Gonta to help me out now.”

“Oh, Gonta is here?”

At the mention of Gonta, he looked around quickly to see if the big guy was anywhere within sight. Considering the fact he couldn’t, he figured that he was somewhere else entirely. There was no way he’d overlook someone like that, he was extremely easy to pick out in a crowd with how bulky he was. Especially when said crowd was mostly tiny children and parents who just happened to be on the shorter side or sitting down.

Gonta wasn’t someone he knew well at all. They’d only spoken a grand total of two times and the conversations were only brief. From what he saw, the man seemed very nice and friendly though so he was hoping to at least say hello before the event started.

“Yeah, he should be back very soon.”

It came to his attention very quickly that Ryoma’s demeanour had changed with the topic. It was interesting to witness the way he visibly relaxed a bit.

“Does he make you feel at ease?”

The question was asked without him really thinking about it. It wasn’t until he noticed the indiscernible look he was given that he wondered if he had somehow said something out of line. It was a simple question in his head, but he could understand how it could be seen as something… different.

With how nervous the other man looked before, it just made sense to him that Gonta was someone very important to him. It didn’t take a detective to figure that out… the big guy obviously helped him immensely. The fact that Ryoma even went out of his way to _ask_ for help was a big thing and he recognised that, especially since Gonta didn’t seem to actually know anything about sports.

Gonta definitely worked out, but that didn’t mean he did anything sports related. From what he learned about him in the small bursts of information he’d gotten, he was more interested in… bugs and ‘being a proper gentleman’. Either way, he was sure he’d been invited as moral and emotional support.

It looked like Ryoma was going to say something - probably protest or make an excuse - but he kept his mouth shut. It made Shuichi steadily feel more awkward for speaking out of turn.

This was exactly why he tried to always make sure that he spoke with a strict filter. He planned out and chose his words carefully at all times, just in case. How come he always seemed to say something that might ruin a potential friendship even though he was so careful…?

“…Guess so,” he replied before Shuichi could beat himself up _too_ much, though he didn’t look him in the eye. “It’s… hard to be negative with someone like him around.”

Not wanting to ask any other weird questions, he just nodded and motioned toward another net that he still had to fix. Since it was dangerously close to time, they set it up together in a surprisingly comfortable silence. All things considered, it was nice.

The moment that they finished, Shuichi wondered if they’d be stuck in an awkward silence. Before he could open his mouth to try to say something, Gonta appeared with a large excited grin plastered on his face.

“Gonta got lollies!” he announced happily, showing off a big plastic bag with exactly that. “Soft ones, no hard ones. Don’t want sore - oh, hello Shuichi! Good day!”

The way the man’s eyes lit up when he noticed him actually made his day. So, even someone who didn’t know him could be excited to see him? It warmed his heart and made him happier than he’d expected. Perhaps it would be a good idea to befriend them both properly…?

“Hello, Gonta,” he smiled, giving the man a small wave. “How are you?”

“Gonta is good! Gonta got lollies for kids, but Shuichi can have one too! Right, Ryo?”

“Sure,” Ryoma replied, quickly hurrying over to the bag so he could reach in and grab one for himself. With the way he moved it seemed like he was embarrassed, but it was kind of cute. “Have as many as you want, there’s heaps. Good job, Gonta.”

With the nickname Gonta had for him, it seemed like he was right about them being really close. It was only another observation he’d made that wasn’t at all confirmed, but he was pretty sure that Ryoma would get mad if anyone else did that…

If Shuichi used a nickname for anyone, he was sure he’d just make the recipient upset and uncomfortable. There was only one person in the world that he was close to and he’d never considered giving her a nickname. He wasn’t that type of person in the first place, but still…

Gonta moved closer to him to offer him a lolly, completely unaware of his internal war. There was no way he could refuse it, though. His smiling face as he held the bag open in front of his was so genuine that he’d never forgive himself if he made him upset. Ryoma was right, it was really hard to be negative with someone like him around and his positivity almost seemed to be contagious…

Even though Shuichi had trust issues and felt uneasy around people he didn’t know well, Gonta was different. Upon their first meeting, he already thought that the man didn’t have a single bad bone in his body.

After thanking them both for the lolly, the days event officially came to a start. They quickly said brief goodbyes and parted ways, going to their allocated areas. As he took the wrapper off his lolly and popped it into his mouth, he took a quick look at the checklist he’d been given. The only thing that was left on it was preparing cold water bottles, so he set about doing that as he watched the kids form their groups.

Although he was doing it on his own, time went by quickly and he enjoyed watching everyone have so much fun. There was lunch given out at midday that he helped serve, but he didn’t eat any even though he probably should have.

Despite his good mood, he didn’t have any appetite. Usually he might force himself to eat a little bit, but he had a feeling it would only make him feel sick, so he didn’t want to risk it. He got a few concerned looks as everyone ate but pointedly ignored them. Nobody actually approached him or bothered him, so he busied himself by filling more water bottles until they all went back to their business.

When the groups reformed and the sports recommenced, a familiar face appeared in the distance. It made him both happy and filled him with an impending sense of doom since they hadn’t actually scheduled to meet up anytime soon.

It was his best friend and co-worker, Kaede Akamatsu.

As glad as he was to see her face, it could only mean one thing… Izuru must have been looking for him.

Since he was volunteering, he’d turned his phone off before he left the house in the morning. Any calls the man might have made to him went blissfully unnoticed, though it seemed like even with his phone off, he’d always manage to find a way to contact him no matter what.

He didn’t even bother hoping that she was just giving him a surprise visit. It was something that she did quite often, but he didn’t remember actually telling her what his plans were for the day. How did she find out…? If it wasn’t her who found out, then who told Izuru?

The moment they locked eyes she smiled, making a beeline toward him. Pretending that he wasn’t incredibly nervous, he kept himself occupied by watching Ryoma teach a rather excited group of kids how to play tennis. Gonta was loitering nearby, watching fondly with the bag of lollies clutched tightly to his chest. They looked like they were all having fun, so he was happy about that. Any nerves that Ryoma might have had earlier were long gone, now replaced with confidence in himself and his abilities.

Surprisingly, it looked like the two of them had a way with children. Compared to the other groups, Ryoma and Gonta were retaining the most attention and even some of the other groups were looking over at them longingly. The kids were interested in both of them equally, some of them hanging over a smiling Gonta if they weren’t playing and talking to him with large grins. With how passionate the big guy looked, he was probably talking about something bug related. Kids were usually more interested in stuff like that, so it seemed like it was good for him.

It was cute and made him feel happy. He was glad he was able to do something nice and see such a thing before his world started to crumble apart again. It was a shame that he’d be going straight from a great event filled with happy people to the scene of a crime.

Shuichi almost felt like he wanted to cry. Just when he was feeling kind of normal and like it might actually be possible for someone like him to live a bit peacefully, reality just had to punch him in the face.

“Hey there,” Kaede said with a sheepish smile, taking a seat on the bench beside him. She immediately put her hand over his in an attempt to reassure him that everything would be okay, which she normally did before giving bad news. “I bet you’re not happy to see me today. Sorry to bother you while you’re busy…”

Sighing, he took her hand into his and gave it a squeeze. It wasn’t her fault that life seemed to hate him. If anyone was going to be sent to collect him though, he was glad it was her.

The worst part was the fact that he wouldn’t be able to attempt to improve himself further. Today he was going to try to take an extra step by inviting Ryoma and Gonta out to do something together, but now it didn’t even look like he’d be able to say goodbye properly… at least he had Ryoma’s number now, so he _could_ try to ask another time.

“Hey, it’s okay,” he said in a tone that definitely did not sound okay at all. He couldn’t help it. “It’s what I agreed to.”

Not that he actually _wanted_ to agree to anything, but he’d had way too much difficulty getting a job in another field. No matter who he’d spoken to, there seemed to be two types of employers in the world; those who thought highly of him and saw him as overqualified, and those who thought lowly of him and saw him as a crazy man. The world was unfair, but he was in no position to be picky when he needed to make a living and survive. At least he did seem to actually be okay at doing detective work on purpose as opposed to solving things accidentally.

Kaede hummed, drumming her fingers against her leg. It seemed like something was bothering her even though she wasn’t likely to admit that.

“We can… stay for a bit, if you want.”

The offer was tempting but unrealistic. If they stayed, they’d both just get into a world of trouble later and he’d rather not be in such a position. After turning his phone off, who knew how mad Izuru was at him already?

Shaking his head, he got to his feet and stretched his arms above his head. There was no point in delaying the inevitable.

“Thanks but no thanks, I don’t want to make Izuru angry… angrier? I don’t know if I did that already…” he sighed, fiddling with his fingers nervously. “Where are we going?”

She hesitated for a few moments before huffing, becoming more visibly determined as she puffed her chest out a bit. With a slight pout on her face, she pulled out her assigned tablet from her bag and gave it to him to quickly look over.

From the look of the case file, not much seemed to be known about the crime scene at the moment. They were still conducting their investigation as the murder had only occurred in the last hour or so. It was still being updated as he was reading it, so he tried to make sure he read it properly without missing anything.

Since it happened not long ago, the murderer couldn’t have gotten far. For the first time in one of these cases, the locals seemed to have seen someone fleeing from the general vicinity in a panic as well. Some police vehicles had been sent out to track whoever it was down using the information that had been provided, but there was no word back from them as of yet.

The victim was a man in his late 40s who appeared to have no social connections. His phone was found with only one contact in it - his mother. After a quick search on the mother, they’d found out that she passed away three years ago from natural causes. It didn’t stop him from constantly calling her though… just the thought made his heart feel heavy. They’d also done a search on his legal name, but it didn’t come back with any results, be it in the police database or just online in general. He had no social media accounts or profiles from what they could find, so it looked like he really was all alone.

Just like all the other cases, he had somehow been suspended in the air and had ‘art’ carved into his bare chest. This time they’d used rope instead of the usual chains, and it had caused burn marks on his wrists and up his arms. The picture carved into his chest was apparently a garden filled with all sorts of flowers.

“No definite cause of death?” He commented softly, not sure if he was actually asking a question or not. Usually they’d at least figure out which wounds were the fatal ones. “And no weapon, it looks like. Well, we’ll figure it out once we get there, won’t we? Those people never seem to look hard enough for evidence despite it also being a part of their jobs…”

Kaede shrugged, taking the tablet off him once he was done. She looked sadly towards the field with what appeared to be regret in her eyes before looking back at him.

“It looks like those people on the force are getting lazier with you around…” she sighed, glancing toward the ground. “Since you’re actually dedicated to finding the truth, they don’t seem to care as much about finding it on their own anymore. I hate it.”

He was a bit taken aback by her honesty, but a sense of fondness seemed to wash over him. In that moment, he wanted to hug her and tell her that it definitely would all be okay. He wanted to let her know just how much he appreciated her and that he had no idea what he’d do without her in his life.

Instead of acting on it, he kept himself at a distance and just stood there.

“It’s okay. I’d rather do this all on my own anyway… they’d just get in my way.”

She didn’t seem to believe him, but she didn’t try to argue with him about it either. With one final, sad glance towards the field, he quickly went to let the event organiser know that he had to leave early because of work. They were understanding and sweet, but he felt horrible for letting them down.

Kaede led him to her car and he felt like he was walking to the execution chair. Hanging his head, he hesitantly got into her car and stared out the window in silence for the whole ride. Somehow, despite how guilty he felt, he was able to ignore her concerned glances toward him the entire time.

As they arrived, he wondered if Kokichi had been asked to take a look at the crime scene as well. It wouldn’t be surprising at all if he was, but he desperately hoped that it wasn’t the case. If he were to be distracted by that guy now, he might actually go crazy and cry… he wasn’t in the mood for nonsense after the tragic turn his day had taken.

Luckily for him, he didn’t spot him anywhere. It might have been an oversight considering how short the man was, but his hair was hard to miss so he figured he’d notice at least that much.

Not wanting to be thinking about him, he got out of her car and quickly set off to analyse any and all evidence he could find. If Kaede called out for him, he didn’t notice. In fact, he quickly forgot all about her and found himself obsessing over every little detail of the crime scene. First, he confirmed all of the information he’d read on Kaede’s tablet, then he branched out from there and decided to approach the body.

There was so much blood covering it that it was hard to tell what wounds had been inflicted. It didn’t seem like he’d bled out from the chest wounds though… the cuts didn’t look deep enough to be the cause of death. It could have killed him over an extremely long period of time, but the crime had been reported quickly and police were at scene too soon for it to be plausible. That meant that there had to be another injury somewhere, either hidden underneath all that blood or done by a method not so easily noticeable.

While glancing at the body, something caught his eye though. The man’s pants didn’t seem to be on correctly. He could clearly see a belt, but it was unbuckled and so they were hanging a bit loose. Perhaps there was a wound in that area…?

“I need help getting the body down,” he announced sternly, pointing to the first two capable looking officers he saw. “Be careful while moving it. We don’t want to compromise the crime scene or inflict any additional wounds, but I can’t get the information I need while he’s hanging up there.”

They both nodded, taking action and trying to figure out the best method to get him down. It took a while, but they managed to do it with flawless teamwork and coordination. The two of them were careful enough to untie the ropes on each side of the room, slowly moving closer together while keeping an iron grip on their rope. By the looks of it, it seemed like they were tied in such a way that the knot could easily be used as a sturdy grip… the murderer and their accomplice must have used a similar method to get him up there in the first place. Once the feet of the victim hit the floor, they carefully helped him to the ground and placed the ropes on the floor beside him.

Glad that they listened to him, he thanked them for the good work and moved to where the body was. As he did, he tried his best to ignore the sick feeling in his stomach.

Before checking beneath the band of his pants, he looked at the chest properly. Just like he thought, the carvings weren’t deep enough to cause him to bleed out. They were actually only just barely deep enough to make him bleed, which was something slightly different to the last scene he’d witnessed. He was already sure that despite the fact that all the victims had an artwork carved on their chests, they all died and suffered in vastly different ways. There was no noticeable pattern between the actual weapon used to kill the victim or the victims themselves. There was also no doubt that they were done by the same person though, so it was confusing. What was their goal and how did they make these decisions…?

Was it random? Was it dependent on the feeling? Were there multiple different accomplices? Were they being hired to do it? The questions were endless, yet there was nobody to answer them with the truth. He had to find it himself.

As he moved the body so it was on its side, he noted that there were no visible marks on his back or anywhere else. With nowhere else to look, he began to pull the pants down inch by inch. It wasn’t long before he found a small hole in the hip area. From its size, it appeared to be the mark of a needle that had penetrated the skin.

“He was injected with something…” he muttered, narrowing his eyes. There was no telling if that was what killed him until it was tested, so there wasn’t much he could do. Aside from that, there didn’t seem to be any other wounds that might have been the cause of death. “All right, this needs to be analysed ASAP. I don’t think there’s anything else we can learn here right now.”

Although he wasn’t talking to anyone in particular, he turned to see a few officers crowded behind him. It looked like they were interested in his process and had been watching him the whole time… it made him a bit nervous, but he didn’t let it show. Speaking to the closest person to him, he let them know what he found out and asked them to take action on his behalf. They agreed and made a call, leaving him to move on.

With that out of the way, he started to observe the ropes. At first glance, it didn’t look like they were anything special. Upon looking closely at the material it was made of though, it looked like the fibers might have some skin or hair attached to them. Looking around to find the officers who had taken the body down, he asked them to take off their gloves to see their hands. They were still red… if the murderer wasn’t wearing gloves, it was definitely possible that they’d accidentally left evidence. Just in case, he thought the ropes should be analysed as well.

It didn’t seem like there were a great deal of other clues in the vicinity as he looked around. Anything else that might have been used must have been taken and kept or disposed of elsewhere. He looked closely in each room of the small house but there really was nothing else of interest that he could find. Once he saw all the rooms, he looked outside. The outside was just as disappointing, unfortunately.

Kaede approached him as he was inspecting the small picket fence surrounding the front of the yard, a curious look on her face.

“Did you find anything?” She asked, tilting her head to the side. “It doesn’t look like there’s much evidence this time… but the person who reported this gave a statement over the phone that might help. We don't know where they went, though..."

A bit frustrated, he turned to look at her with a heavy sigh.

“Not really…” he said, crossing his arms tightly over his chest. “It looked like the victim was injected with something and the rope used to hang him could have traces of DNA on them. It feels weird that they would use rope instead of chains all of a sudden, but this killer has been pretty unpredictable…”

She hummed thoughtfully, giving a one shoulder shrug. It looked like she didn’t really know what to think of it either, but that was just about what he expected from her. She was smart, but it didn’t look like she actually had time to look at the scene herself before he’d gotten the officers to move the body. Something else was clearly on her mind and distracting her from the task at hand. It was strange that she didn’t go into the house with him, but he wasn’t sure if he should ask her anything.

“I guess we’ll have to wait and see what the analysis brings back to us, huh?” she said eventually, taking a hold of his arm and deciding to redirect him elsewhere. “Also… I need to talk to you. Privately.”

Anxious, he stiffened and tried to rake his brain for anything she might want to talk to him about. Nothing really came to mind. Unless it was the reason why she didn’t go inside? He had no idea, but she looked so serious that it scared him. In all the years he’d known her, such a face either meant that she was determined or that something bad had happened - two polar opposites.

There was only one way to find out and that was by talking to her. One question did end up springing to mind though, so he couldn’t help but ask it just to ease his mind.

“Did you… see Kokichi?” He asked, feeling a little stupid once the words left his mouth. That was the only problem that he could think of from the top of his head, but her confused look told him that she might have taken it the wrong way. “Never mind, sorry. Did you want to talk now or later?”

Looking around to make sure they were alone, she tugged him towards the gate leading to the backyard. Before opening it she thoroughly checked the vicinity for people who might hear them, then hesitantly led them both through it. Every precaution she took made him grow even more nervous, his heart pounding in his chest as he tried to will himself to patiently wait without making any assumptions about the situation.

“Why did you ask about Kokichi?” She whispered, looking on edge. “I didn’t see him anywhere. Were you expecting him?”

He shook his head no perhaps a bit too quickly and enthusiastically, but he definitely didn’t want to see that man. It felt like it’d only screw with his head, making his job a million more times difficult. But it still was a bit strange that he didn’t show up at some point since he said he’d been tasked with ‘keeping an eye’ on him. It might have been a lie, but he still expected the man to randomly appear all the time regardless.

“I just didn’t want to see him and got worried that he might be here… more importantly, what did you need to talk to me about?”

She stared at him for what felt like an eternity before she decided to let the Kokichi topic go and actually answer his question. The atmosphere seemed to grow heavy and grim as she moved toward him, gently cupping a hand around his ear so she could whisper directly into it.

“I think I found an important clue about the accomplice, but I’m scared to let anyone know about it…”

It took just about all of his willpower to stop himself from relentless drilling her for information. He didn’t want to turn it around on her and interrogate her when she was clearly trusting him with something that she felt the need to hide for some reason. He didn’t want to betray her trust. He didn’t want to lose her. He wanted to… to trust her, too.

“…Why?”

That was the only word he could say, and just so happened to be the most important question. If he knew why, then he’d understand everything a lot better.

“Because… because I think he’s being manipulated or… or tricked somehow. Look, I’m trusting you here, Shuichi… I might be wrong and this guy is a good guy. That’s why I… I don’t want to make his life even harder by revealing this evidence yet. I want you to help me find out the truth first.”

Nodding his head, he took her hand into his and held it firmly. Now it was his way of showing that he was there for her and that everything would be okay. There was no way he’d betray her or make her sad if he could prevent it. If this person she knew was really the accomplice, though… he had no idea what he would do. It depended on the situation, he supposed.

“You can count on me,” he said, noticing that she was trembling violently. Just who was this guy and why was she so worried about him? She’d never really talked to him about any of her other friends before so he couldn’t even begin to guess who it was. “You can come to my place after this and give me the details. Does that sound good to you?”

“…Sure,” she said, removing her hand from his ear and going back to her cheery self. “We’ll work together to figure this case out! We’re a team, right?”

“Of course.”

They shared a smile and he didn’t let go of her hand as they went back around to the front of the house. It had been a while since the two of them spent time together outside of work, so he was kind of looking forward to having her over. Sure, it was for a work related conversation, but it looked like he might even get a chance to learn more about her. Maybe he could even cook something for her for dinner… he wondered if he actually had anything in the fridge. His memory of the past few days were hazy at best because of how busy he was, so everything had kind of blurred together somewhere along the way.

That train of thought came to a halt the moment they reached the front door. His heart dropped, his excitement demolished so easily. It almost made him run away, but he couldn’t even if he wanted to because Kaede was tightly holding onto his hand as though her life depended on it.

_Why did this have to happen now…?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and kudos are much appreciated, I'd love to know what you think so far and if you're interested in reading more!


	3. Hassun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A certain someone has arrived for an important chat, and Shuichi gets a new partner to work with.

The emotionless red eyes of Izuru Kamukura were staring at him from inside the living room.

Kaede’s grip on his hand was like a vice, unrelenting and unshakable. He wasn’t sure if it was because she was also intimidated by him, or because she knew that he was thinking of running away, but she wouldn’t let go.

Honestly, he was glad that she was holding on to him so tightly. Her support and friendship were some of the only things that helped him feel strong when he couldn’t help but show just how much of a coward he really was. She was his bright, optimistic rock that held him up when he felt as though his world might crumble apart around him… and he didn’t want to disappoint her. Never.

So he had to put on a farce and pretend that he was fearless. Over-thinking the situation and avoiding things wouldn’t do anyone good in the long run. If he was going to learn how to be a better Shuichi, then he had to face the obstacles head on and learn how to properly deal with them.

It felt like it was too soon to face Izuru, but he had no choice. Even if his day had been ruined and he left potential friends behind, the world went on spinning either way and it could be much worse. He meant it when he told Kaede that he was glad it was her who was sent to collect him, because anyone else would’ve only been rubbing salt in the wound.

For both their sakes, he had to be strong. He did his job and showed up when there were new murders, so there was no reason for Izuru to be that mad at him. Sure, he… ignored phone calls and text messages every now and then, but he hadn’t found anything worth reporting yet! It shouldn’t be a big deal, right? If he’d found a direct clue to who the killer was, he would’ve been on the phone himself in a heart beat.

When they first started working together, he’d already given warnings. One was that he wasn’t as good as everyone else made him out to be, and another was that sometimes his anxiety got the better of him. Izuru just stated that he didn’t care and that he wanted the partnership anyway, that it was normal to feel the way Shuichi did.

As he looked at the man in that moment, he couldn’t help but feel nervous though. Hell, he’d honestly prefer it if he walked in and saw Kokichi standing there… why did it have to be him?

For a few antagonising moments, the room remained in pure silence. Everyone seemed curious about why the boss had arrived, most of them stopping what they were doing to wait and see what he wanted. If they were sitting down, they’d quite literally be on the edge of their seats. It was hard not to wonder about something so seemingly random and significant, but he found their attention to be annoying.

“Ah, Saihara,” Izuru said after a while, causing many eyes to turn to him. “Come with me, we need to talk.”

There was no emotion in his voice as he spoke, so he really had no idea if he was in trouble or not. Possibly one of the most frustrating things about the man was his lack of expression. How was Shuichi supposed to read someone who showed no emotions whatsoever? His voice, his face, his body language… they were always so neutral that he was completely unpredictable.

Still, he had chosen Izuru over Kyoko as a boss for a reason… she was far scarier than he was. It was a shock to Kaede when he first mentioned it, but he couldn’t help but feel a little scared of such a cold woman. The glares she’d given him for seemingly no reason put him much more on edge than any unreadable look Izuru had sent his way.

They were both good and bad in their own ways, of course, so choosing who to work for had been a very difficult decision. It had actually taken him quite a few months of thought and meetings with them before he could even begin to think of what would be best for him and his future. Alongside his own opinion of them he had heard stories from many others too, which he didn’t really take into account but he’d be lying if he said he ignored them.

With how famous and well-known they both were, many stories had been spread about them. From outrageous, to clearly fabricated, to sounding so realistic that people accepted them blindly… he’d heard them all. Some of them were good, like how Izuru and Kyoko both donated money to various charities and aided people whenever they could. On the flip side, some of them were bad, like how Izuru allegedly kept people against their will and Kyoko allegedly aided a criminal who went on a killing spree and then allowed them to roam free.

Although they were all just stories, a lot of the theories popped into his mind when he sat down and tried to list the pros and cons of each. In the end, he had no idea how much those stories influenced him, but he felt like Izuru was the lesser of two evils.

The meetings he had with Izuru were strange, but the terms he put on offer were too tempting to resist. There was less work, and he wanted Shuichi to only work on big cases one at a time so he could focus on… recovery. The only time he wanted to talk to him was when he was giving a new case, when he needed help, when he made a huge breakthrough, or when he was resolving a case.

It was the complete opposite of Kyoko, who wanted to hire him full time in a position more akin to a police officer. She wanted him there all day, every day, and wanted him to work beside her which made him feel even more anxious than usual.

Even though Izuru had the most pros after that, he did one final thing that made refusal impossible - he let Kaede work alongside him as a fellow detective. All Shuichi had to do was ask the question and the immediate reply was an affirmative one, even though he was very awkward and nervous when he did. The only condition was that he take care of her and make sure she knew what she was doing.

Kyoko wouldn’t have even entertained the question and probably would have laughed at him in the process. She would’ve just paired him up with someone he most likely wouldn’t get along with and his life would’ve been hell.

So why did he have to be such a coward when he saw Izuru? After everything, he chose Shuichi to work for him and did so much to made sure he was comfortable. It wasn’t exactly a job someone could feel happy with all the time, but he was as content as he could be. He had free time, he had his best friend working with him, he wasn’t expected to talk to anyone unless it was necessary…

It was just another case of him being afraid of the truth, he thought. Although he’d come to the conclusion that he wasn’t going to be in trouble for anything, he was scared of being wrong. What if his judgment of Izuru was incorrect? What if he hated Shuichi and was going to fire him for neglecting to answer his phone? He’d never shown up at a crime scene before, so it could be anything.

Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm himself down. Instead of freaking out and trying to figure it all out in his head, all he had to do was fulfill his request.

“All right,” he said, giving Kaede’s hand a reassuring squeeze. Hesitantly, she loosened her grip so he could make his way over to Izuru. As he did, he couldn’t bring himself to look back at her. Whatever worried expression she had on her face would only make him less willing to walk away from her. “If it takes a while, I’ll message you when I’m done. Don’t worry too much.”

He said the last part to her softly while he was still within range, trying not to sound too serious. It was just a talk with his boss. It shouldn’t take long and everything should be fine.

Despite his words, he was still full of anxiety. He felt exponentially colder the further away he got from her as well. Was it his nerves, or was she just so warm that being away from her made him realise how cold it was? No, it was warm outside, so that couldn’t be it. Maybe he was getting chills from the cold gaze Izuru had, staring at him like he could see into his very soul…?

“We can go to my car and talk,” Izuru said, walking by him and making him turn back around to follow. “It’s not ideal, but it’s soundproof so nobody will hear us.”

Avoiding Kaede’s gaze, he followed Izuru like he was a child in trouble and on their way to the principals office. He dragged his feet without realising, his head hung low as he stared at each crack in the path beneath his feet leading from the door to the road.

It wasn’t surprising to hear that his car was soundproofed considering his position, but he didn’t like the connotations at all. Logic screamed that it was because his work was confidential, but his irrational anxiety screamed that he was about to be terminated from his position for good.

With the way his thoughts were, he was starting to feel pretty annoyed with himself. Why couldn’t he just do things without these thoughts in his mind…?

When Izuru stopped walking, he finally raised his head. The car was just as he expected from someone like him. It was extremely expensive looking, black in colour and shining as though it had been just recently polished. It was like a small limousine, most likely for business conversations that needed to be done on the move. The walls were tinted so nobody could see inside, and when the front door was opened he could see that the interior was made of leather, most likely also super expensive. After grabbing something from the front seat, Izuru moved to the back, opening the door and gesturing for him to get in.

The back of the vehicle had seats facing each other, just as he expected, and someone was already sitting inside. He didn’t pay them any mind as he climbed in and sat down, trying to ignore the fact that the seat was so comfortable that he could probably fall asleep in it if he wasn’t careful. A small sigh escaped his lips as he relaxed, sinking into the comfortable seat a bit. Izuru got in once he was settled, taking a seat beside the stranger.

“Ah, you must be Shuichi Saihara!” The unfamiliar person exclaimed, and he finally took a moment to acknowledge his presence. The man had messy white hair and was so pale that he almost looked like a corpse. It was both concerning and unnerving, but he tried to not look at him with that comparison in mind. “I’ve heard so much about you!”

Izuru looked annoyed as he glared at the white-haired man, but the other just laughed like he didn’t have a care in the world. The grin on his face didn’t fade in the slightest.

“What did I say?” Izuru warned, anger clearly in his voice.

It was probably the first time he’d actually heard emotion in his boss’ voice and it terrified him, so he kept his mouth shut. If he was on the receiving end of a voice like that, he’d probably cry. With absolutely no idea what was going on, he wasn’t about to test his luck by bringing any more attention to himself.

“Whatever. Saihara, this is Komaeda, but he’s not important…” Izuru continued when all the other man did was smile innocently at him.

“Aw, that hurt!” Komaeda pouted, amusement still in his eyes.

Izuru grit his teeth and stopped talking just to glare at him, which seemingly just fueled Komaeda even more. It looked like Komaeda was going to say something else, but Izuru noticed and quickly continued talking.

“What’s more important is what you think about this case so far, Saihara. I’ve gotten quite a few updates from officers, but none of them were from you.”

Trying to gather his thoughts, he stared at the two of them blankly. Izuru’s expression most likely mirrored his own, and Komaeda’s face had grown a little more serious as he leaned forward to listen to what he had to say.

It was hard to catch up with what was going on since he’d been expecting to get into trouble, so he had no idea where to start. How was he supposed to explain that he barely knew anything? The only promising lead he might have was whatever Kaede was going to tell him about later, and he wouldn’t share that information with anyone. Even after so many murders, it was difficult to find out any concrete information about the culprit.

“Uh, well…” he muttered, adjusting his hat so it hid his face. “There isn’t much to say that you haven’t heard already, but I can summarise it all in my own words or answer some questions if you’d like. This scene has been… different to the others.”

Komaeda leaned back so he could tap on Izuru’s leg excitedly, his face lighting up.

“Oh, oh, can I ask questions?” He asked, moving his hand away with a small chuckle when it looked like Izuru might literally bite it off. “I’ll be good, don’t worry!”

The innocent look Komaeda gave was not convincing at all, but the look on Izuru’s face said he was going to give in despite not trusting him at all.

Shuichi was a bit weirded out by how the two were acting, but it was also kind of amusing. It showed him a different side to Izuru that he felt he wasn’t supposed to ever see, but the man felt more human to him now. He wondered what kind of history they had since they seemed pretty familiar with each other despite the fact that it looked like they didn’t really get along.

“If you ask anything weird…” Izuru warned, glaring once again with a look like icy daggers.

“Weird? What do you mean, what would I ask that’s weird?”

“Don’t play dumb with me, Komaeda. I mean it. If you ask anything weird, you’ll regret it.”

“Ah… wow, you don’t trust me! It hurts my heart to hear that, you know? What have I ever done to you…? Well, I suppose nobody wants to trust me no matter what I do. Aside from my wonderful Hajime, of course!”

“…I have no idea why he puts up with you. Just ask the questions already, we don’t have time for your nonsense. If you say one thing out of line, I’m throwing you out of this car.”

“’Kay!” Komaeda smiled just as brightly as ever, focusing on Shuichi with growing curiosity. “Hmm, let’s see… let’s start with the basics, shall we? What information have you gathered about the murderer?”

Curious about their little ‘conversation’, if you could call it that, it took him a few more moments to think about how to respond. He wanted to know the context behind their exchange, but it had nothing to do with him so he pushed it to the back of his mind.

“The murderer appears to be an artist, or at least an aspiring artist. At every crime scene so far, they’ve carved some sort of picture into the victim’s chest. I’m not sure if they have any meaning behind them yet, but I’m looking into it. We have no idea who it is or what they look like, but there was a potential witness this time who might be able to give some information. There also appears to be at least one accomplice, though we know nothing about that person either.”

Komaeda nodded, looking thoughtful. As it fell silent in the car, he realised that the atmosphere had changed for some reason. Something was off, but he had no idea what.

For the few moments it took for Komaeda to ask another question, Shuichi looked around as discreetly as possible so he wouldn’t draw attention to himself. In the end, his eyes fell on Izuru who suddenly looked quire relaxed in his seat. With how comfortable they were he couldn’t blame the man, but he seemed so at ease that he almost looked like he was a completely different person.

His features didn’t seem as cold as they did before. The expressionless face was replaced with a curious one, his eyes looking like they had much more life behind them. They made eye contact and Izuru looked startled, even jumping a bit in his seat and clinging to Komaeda’s arm.

It didn’t look like he was doing it hard enough to hurt, but Komaeda’s eyes widened in surprise. It looked like he wanted to say something, but in the end he tightened his lips together and visibly needed to hold himself back from saying or doing something. The visible reaction disappeared as quickly as it came, although now Shuichi had noticed something was amiss, it was easy to see through his attempt to appear indifferent. When he talked again, his sentences were a bit more rushed and his voice was a little bit higher.

“Interesting! We’ll have to see who did the witness report after this. I remember seeing in the case file that a few officers were sent out to look for the culprit too, so we’ll have to find out what happened there as well,” he almost shouted, taking a notepad out of his jacket and writing something in it. “All right. Have you noticed a connection between any of the victims?”

Focusing on Komaeda, he decided to not look into what happened too much since they had more important things to focus on. The air was slowly growing in its intensity again, so he just needed to stop himself from looking at Izuru unless he needed to. He had no idea if he was imagining things or not, and he definitely didn’t want to get caught up on unnecessary things.

Even though there were some red flags popping up, he selfishly wanted to remain ignorant to any issues. For once, he had it pretty good and he was improving thanks to Izuru hiring him. There was no way he wanted to risk messing it all up, especially when he couldn’t tell if he was misunderstanding the signs.

“No, there’s no discernible connection between the victims. The only similarity they share is the fact that they’re all within this area. Even then, they’re from both the richer and poorer parts and have different social statuses. They’re of different ages, genders, sexualities, ethnicities… it almost seems like they could be chosen randomly.”

Another explanation he thought of was that the culprit was being hired to kill people, but he wasn’t sure about that one. There was no proof toward that at all, so it was purely speculation and he didn’t bring it up.

Guessing was easy, but that wasn’t his job. His job was to find the facts, to find clues and piece them together to form a logical and coherent course of events. Sure, some guesswork was involved as well, but those guesses were best left unmentioned until they were backed up by some proof.

“Shuichi - can I call you that?” Komaeda said, stopping to give him a chance to answer. He nodded in confirmation, then the man continued. “Shuichi. What if I said that there definitely is a connection between them. What kind of thoughts come to your mind?”

Blinking in semi-confusion, he wondered what the other man meant by that. Was there something that he hadn’t taken into consideration? It felt like he was being directed towards something… but what? He looked through all the evidence provided to him and nothing had really stood out much at all.

Unless… unless they all frequented similar places in their free time? He hadn’t had much of a chance to do reconnaissance since there weren’t many noteworthy places of interest he found suspicious yet. That was the only explanation that came to mind about a connection between them he might have overlooked. That kind of information wouldn’t be known unless you knew them personally, so of course it wasn’t in any of the case files and it wasn’t easily obtained.

With that in mind, the current victim was a bad place to start since he didn’t appear to have any close social ties. One of the others might lead them to something if they searched hard enough and played their cards right, though.

“Well… since they all lived in this general area, they could have all gone to the same place at some point. There isn’t much to do around here though, so where would they go and why?”

The area really was rather desolate - the small suburb had as many streets as he had fingers. It wasn’t far from his own home, but it was isolated by bushland and had only the bare necessities when it came to buildings. There was a school, a small hospital, a shopping area and a church. The rest of the streets were just regular houses, so none of those really stood out as very suspicious places.

Before Komaeda could say anything else, Izuru finally opened his mouth to speak once again.

“Saihara,” he said, back to the cold and expressionless man he was used to. Perhaps he really had imagined what happened earlier…? “I want you to look into the buildings around here. I want you to work with Komaeda as well as you do.”

“Huh?” The other two present exclaimed in unison, looking at Izuru with both shock and surprise.

“You’re trying to get rid of me now?” Komaeda asked, looking genuinely distressed and a little bit hurt. “What will you tell Hajime? I was supposed to…”

“Be quiet,” Izuru practically growled, crossing his arms tightly over his chest. The air was suddenly extremely thick and it felt like he was suffocating from the tension between them. “The quicker this case is closed, the quicker you’ll see Hinata again.”

Komaeda fell quiet, turning away from Izuru and averting his gaze. It was strange to Shuichi since Komaeda seemed like the kind of person to stubbornly disagree with someone, yet he seemed to accept his fate because of whoever Hajime was. The way that they were talking made it sound like he was being held captive or something though…

With that being none of his business, he directed his thoughts to Kaede. What would she think if he suddenly appeared with another partner to work with - he didn’t want her to think she was being replaced or something. Did Izuru forget about her, or did he want them to all work together? He doubted the man would want to replace her out of the blue and for no reason.

“Um, I have Kaede to help me…” Shuichi said, wondering if it was okay or not for him to be saying such a thing. He needed to know what it meant for her, though. “I’m not sure why you want Komaeda to help me with this. I mean, I don’t mind at all, it just came out of nowhere so I’m a little bit… confused.”

Luckily, it didn’t look like Izuru was mad or bothered by his question at all. Komaeda didn’t react either, so he hoped that meant he didn’t accidentally offend him.

“Despite his looks, he’s intelligent and efficient,” he replied, and surprisingly Komaeda didn’t perk up at the compliments. “I know you have Akamatsu helping you and I’ve already said I have no issue with it… but after this conversation I’m pretty sure that Komaeda knows more than he’s letting on, so you’ll have to extract information from him yourself. He won’t tell me.”

After hearing that, he suddenly became sure that they weren’t actually close or even friends at all. It seemed more like they were forced to interact with each other because of something - or someone else.

He doubted that Izuru was actually holding someone captive, but he started to get genuinely worried about the situation. It looked like the only reason Komaeda wasn’t fighting him or arguing was because of Hajime. If that was the case, then why didn’t he voluntarily hand over any information he might have? If it meant that the case would be closed sooner and that he could see his friend again, then why remain stubbornly tight-lipped about it? Why would someone not want to help solve such a horrible murder case in the first place?

There was so much that he just didn’t understand. It was frustrating to try to figure out what was going on with so little information, but it was hard to stop himself from analysing everything and trying to find the truth of the situation. If he knew the two men better, it may have been easier, but as it was they were complete mysteries to him.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, he told himself to stop. He wasn’t there to analyse them and figure out what their problems were… all that mattered was the case.

“Okay…” he said, making eye contact with Komaeda. “I look forward to working with you. Are there any more questions?”

Although they were literally staring at each other and his question was clearly directed to Komaeda, the other man remained silent. The look he had on his face said he wanted to talk, he just didn’t. Was it because it would only be helping Izuru and he didn’t want to do that after what happened?

Shuichi couldn’t blame him, so he didn’t press for a response. Despite his curiosity and desire for knowledge, he was a very patient person and could easily sit there and embrace the silence until his boss inevitably grew tired of nothing happening.

Komaeda gave him a small smile when he realised that Shuichi wasn’t going to push him to talk. For some reason, that small action made him feel warm inside, like he was doing something good for once. With how the man acted, it seemed like he didn’t smile like that often; during their brief time together, he noticed that the other gave many fake and exaggerated expressions that most people wouldn’t pick up on, but this one smile looked genuine. Glancing at Izuru to make sure his attention was elsewhere, he quickly smiled back.

They were going to be working together, so he wanted to make a good impression as well. If there was a chance of them becoming actual friends, he wanted it to happen.

It wasn’t long before Izuru sighed in annoyance and clearly became impatient with them. Since it was clear that neither of them were going to speak without further prompting, he decided to talk instead.

Shuichi felt like he was desperate to get rid of Komaeda and leave, which made him a little annoyed.

“I will take over from here,” Izuru said, frowning in disapproval. “The only thing I’d like to hear now is what you’ve gathered from this crime scene specifically.”

Seeing how fed up Izuru was becoming, he figured it’d be best to not piss his boss off any more than he might have already. It was strange, though, how he’d been so scared of getting in trouble before but now he couldn’t really care less. Seeing Izuru show emotion and actually interact with someone made him seem far less intimidating.

“All right,” Shuichi replied slowly, pressing a finger to his chin in thought. “Well, there’s a potential witness this time around who may have information on the culprit. I haven’t had a chance to talk to them or find out if anyone else has, but I can just talk to them myself if you’d like me to.”

Pausing, he wondered where the witness was in the first place. As he investigated the crime scene, he didn’t see a single person who wasn’t an officer of some kind.

Now that he thought about it, that was pretty strange. At almost every scene he’d been at since he started working, there was always at least one curious civilian who tried to find out what was going on even though it was none of their business. Even though it was obvious that police had arrived, there hadn’t been a single peep from the neighbours.

The cases seemed to only get stranger and he felt like it was becoming too much for him. All he could do was hope that working with Komaeda would help him figure out whatever he was missing.

“Um,” he muttered, trying not to get too lost in his thoughts. “There may also be some evidence with traces of DNA,” he continued, making a mental note for later to look into the witness and lack of reaction from neighbours. “Instead of the usual chains, they used a type of rope that had rough fibers. They clearly hung the body in a rush since they left obvious clues about how they killed him. I found a puncture mark from an injection of some kind around the hip area, and the thing that drove me to look there was the fact that his pants weren’t even fastened properly before they suspended him in the air. We would have found it regardless, but still… they’re typically much better at covering their tracks.”

Raking his brain for anything he might have left out, he decided that was more than enough. This crime scene had been more rewarding than the others, but it still didn’t reveal much.

“I see,” Izuru said, taking Komaeda’s notebook off him since he’d stopped writing in it. Pen in hand, he froze completely when he looked at whatever was written and seemed to grow very angry very quickly. Visibly struggling to regain his composure, he hastily wrote something and snapped the book shut with much more force than necessary. “That’s interesting indeed. Thank you for the update, Saihara. I know I didn’t give you a choice, but I came today mostly because I want you to work alongside Komaeda for the rest of this case.”

It was surprising to hear him say it so straightforwardly, even though his intentions had been quite clear. For whatever reason, he seemed to not trust Komaeda at all and thought the best way to deal with that was by pushing the guy onto Shuichi.

Komaeda didn’t seem like a bad guy, but Izuru’s clear distrust in him and his emotional responses spoke volumes. It also said a lot about how much faith Izuru had in Shuichi, since he doubted the man would pass on the responsibility of working with Komaeda on just anyone…

Unable to stop himself, he couldn’t help but wonder why their relationship was so strained. What made them distrust each other, and why did they still choose to communicate? If their relationship was not good, why would Komaeda get into the car and agree to everything without attempting to fight back? Since he had no idea who Komaeda really was or what he was capable of, there were way too many possibilities.

Either way, he’d already agreed to work with him. He’d try his best to live up to Izuru’s expectations, close the case and hopefully finally make a new friend in the process.

“Uh, you’re welcome,” he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. It felt like there were so many things that he wanted to talk about to gain some peace of mind while he had the chance, but his mind was going blank. There was only one topic that remained in his mind, but he was hesitant to bring it up. “Ah, can I ask a question…?”

Lowering his gaze so he was staring at the floor of the car, he wondered if it was a good idea to be asking questions when there were much more important things to do. Izuru had been kind to him so far, but there was only so much that he could get away with before it eventually bit him in the ass.

“You may.”

For his own sake, he had to do it. It had been bothering him for so long, and this might be the only opportunity he’d ever get to receive answers to his questions.

Having meetings with Izuru wasn’t something that he wanted to make a regular occurrence, so he knew it was now or never. The longer he waited, the more it would weigh down on him and bother him.

“…Did you ask Kokichi to keep an eye on me?” He asked, already feeling like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Just vocalising it was enough to make him feel a million times less stressed about it. It had been on his mind and bothering him so much that he needed to know. “Usually he always shows up when I’m at a crime scene, so I half expected him to be here today as well.”

Holding his breath, he watched Izuru closely to see if he reacted to the question. There was nothing of note that he saw, though he wasn’t sure if he was happy about that or not.

“No, but I did ask him to speak to you and offer you assistance,” Izuru didn’t hesitate to answer, not at all surprised or troubled by the question. Even Komaeda became interested once again when he heard the man’s name. “He’s a little… unorthodox, I must admit, but he’s well respected and I trust him so I was hoping you’d be able to get along and help each other.”

The first part was something he’d considered, so that didn’t come as a surprise. The second, however…? It seemed strange that he’d want them to get along and help each other just because Kokichi was ‘well respected’. What business did a detective and a psychologist have with each other? None. It felt like there was something more that he was hiding, but it was hard to tell for sure if that was paranoia or not on his part.

“Kichi isn’t here at the moment,” Komaeda added the moment that he could. A small smile graced his lips when Izuru bristled in anger beside him, making Shuichi positive that this was something that was supposed to be hidden from him. “Didn’t anyone tell you? That’s why he didn’t show up here today! Normally he wants to know when you-”

“Komaeda,” Izuru practically hissed, grabbing the other man’s leg tight enough to elicit a pained whimper from him.

Shuichi’s heart was racing. Wasn’t it within his rights to know when his own psychologist was disappearing for an indefinite amount of time? Why doesn’t Izuru want him to know anything about Kokichi? It was suspicious, especially since he was positive that Komaeda was bringing up such things just to rile him up.

“…Ouma had to travel for an emergency,” Izuru continued despite his inner thoughts, his voice and demeanour as calm and collected as ever. “Komaeda runs his mouth without providing any much needed context. Ouma left last night abruptly, not providing any details, so I was waiting to hear from him again before informing anyone of anything. Don’t worry, we’ll inform you of his return and if you have any sessions with him scheduled in the meantime, forget about them. It’s up to him to contact you to reschedule them once he returns.”

Looking at the two of them in that moment, he wasn’t sure what to think or if he should be concerned. They were hiding something from him, that was for sure… but why bother? What was Komaeda going to say that made Izuru react violently in front of him, only making himself look suspicious? As though he wasn’t incredibly bothered by it, he simply nodded and didn’t let his true feelings show on his face or in his attitude.

It wasn’t like he was worried about Kokichi or anything, but he was concerned that he hadn’t been notified of anything. What kind of emergency could that guy even have to travel for? He wanted to know, but there was no way to find out.

Perhaps Kokichi would have confided in him if their meal together ended on a lighter note. He couldn’t help but wonder if things would have gone differently if he accepted the man’s friendship, but he still wasn’t even sure if he actually wanted to be friends or if he was just messing with him for some reason. With how much Kokichi tended to lie, there was no reason for him to put his guard down until his trust was earned.

Thinking of his time with Ryoma earlier, the use of nicknames came to his mind. Komaeda using a nickname for Kokichi made him wonder if they were as close as Ryoma and Gonta seemed to be. Were they good friends…?

There were many questions that he wanted to ask to sate his curiosity, but he didn’t want to overstep. If things went well, at least he’d have some opportunities to ask them. They’d be working together for a while most likely, so all he had to do was take his time and hopefully make a good impression.

“…Okay, thank you,” he said, looking at Komaeda with interest. Just what was his deal, and how different would he be away from Izuru…? “When will I start working with Komaeda? Now?”

It was clear that Izuru didn’t have to think about his answer, yet he still waited a few moments before speaking.

“Yes. I want you both to speak to the witness and see if you can find any locations that the victims might have all gone to,” he informed, then turned to Komaeda with a grimace. “And you… I’m going to find you somewhere closer to Saihara for you to stay until this is over. Make sure to exchange numbers and keep in contact, and let me know if you make any breakthroughs.”

Although Komaeda didn’t react to anything Izuru said, there was a sadness hanging over him that made Shuichi feel a bit sorry for him. Still, he didn’t try to oppose Izuru on his decision.

Glancing between the two of them, he wondered if he should offer for Komaeda to stay with him… it would make it easier for them to work together and get to know each other, hitting two birds with one stone. A part of him did not want to at all, but he also didn’t want to be an asshole and make Izuru find a place for him when it was so simple for him to just clear some boxes out of his spare room for a little while.

“Komaeda…” he spoke up, his hesitance probably showing on his face and in his voice. “Uh, you can stay with me if you want to? I have a spare room with hardly anything in it…”

At first, he had no idea if the other man heard what he said. There was no reaction, and it seemed like his mind was somewhere else entirely. As patient as he was, his nerves were quickly getting the better of him since not even Izuru acknowledged him or voiced an opinion about it. Eventually, Komaeda did look up and make eye contact with him.

“Haha,” the other man laughed dryly, giving him a tight-lipped smile. “No.”

The straight-forward no caught him off guard, but he also couldn’t help the relief that he felt. Komaeda was an enigma that he knew absolutely nothing about, so having him as a roommate would’ve put him on edge. It didn’t stop him from feeling incredibly guilty, though.

“Oh…. Okay then,” he said, shrugging and trying not to let it get to him. “If that’s all, we’ll go now.”

Izuru nodded, handing Komaeda back his notebook along with something else he couldn’t identify. Then he got up without a word, walking to the front of the car and getting behind the wheel. Once Shuichi and Komaeda got out and closed the doors behind themselves, he drove off almost immediately.

Feeling a bit lost, he couldn’t do much more than watch Izuru drive away. There was so much to unpack after that, and his brain was struggling to keep up.

“Well,” Komaeda said loudly, turning to him with a grin like nothing that just happened phased him. “Let’s see if we can find someone who know where this witness is. I want to have a look at the crime scene myself as well.”

Things were moving too fast.

Head spinning, he made an attempt to ground himself by staring hard at the pavement beneath his feet. He was so used to nothing happening aside from his volunteer work and the occasional crime scene, so he’d grown lazy and comfortable in his routine. He wasn’t prepared for anything that just happened.

Why did so much have to change so quickly? It was already hard enough for him to do a job that he didn’t even want to do. All the new unknowns made it so much harder for him to motivate himself.

Placing a hand on Komaeda’s arm without thinking, the other man looked back at him in confusion. There was so much he wanted to ask so he could calm down before he was with Kaede again… but where was he supposed to start? What was okay, and what would help him? He had no idea what to do now.

Fortunately for him, it looked like the other knew exactly what he was thinking. His eyes softened in something akin to pity before he shook his head no.

“…We can talk later, okay?” He said, softly taking a hold of Shuichi’s hand and moving it away from him with hands as cold as ice. “Looks like you’re going to be stuck with me for a while. I’m sure you have a lot of questions, but I’m… honestly, I’m upset right now and I just want to focus on being productive with work. I won’t leave you in the dark though, don’t worry.”

Reluctantly, he folded his hands in front of himself and gave a nod. He’d just have to accept that answer and try not to let the situation overwhelm him in the meantime.

With that, they returned to the scene of the crime yet again. The moment he opened the door, Kaede ran over to him with worry and inspected his face with fervour. It was hard not to smile and laugh when her face was right in front of his, her cheeks puffed up and her eyebrows furrowed in worry as she squished his cheeks.

He felt a little bad for finding it funny when she was obviously concerned, but she reminded him of a squirrel. It was cute, in a way, and it made all of his worried fade away if even for a moment.

“You don’t seem upset,” she said, sighing in relief and stepping away from him. Taking his hands into her own, she smiled brightly, glad to see that he wasn’t upset or in trouble. Then she noticed Komaeda loitering beside him and her face changed to one of surprise and curiosity. “That’s great! Who’s this?”

“Call me Komaeda,” he replied, smiling. “I’ll be working with you from now on, so I hope I’m not too much of a burden to you!”

She blinked in confusion, tilting her head at his strange introduction. Even Shuichi was a little baffled by the way he was talking since it didn’t sound like he was joking. If that was a serious comment, then he wasn’t sure how he should react if it was something he did often. Did he think lowly of himself?

“Huh? You aren’t a burden!” Kaede said without missing a beat, extending her hand towards him. “I’m Kaede, nice to meet you!”

Komaeda looked down at the hand offered with an unreadable expression, making no move to take it and instead looking up at her face with a slight hint of intrigue.

“Sorry, but I don’t like physical contact,” he said, causing Kaede to drop her hand and apologise profusely. “It is nice to finally meet you though, I’ve heard quite a lot about you.”

With how much animosity there seemed to be between Komaeda and Izuru, he definitely couldn’t imagine his boss just talking about Kaede for no apparent reason, especially not a lot.

“Really?” Kaede asked, looking a bit embarrassed and confused. “I hope they were nice things!”

Since Komaeda looked a bit awkward with their encounter, he decided to step in and get the ball rolling. They didn’t have all day to work, so he wanted to start making more progress sooner rather than later.

“We should probably start asking around to see if we can get a hold of the witness. The sooner we’re able to get that out of the way, the sooner we can figure out what the best way to proceed is.”

After explaining everything to Kaede to get her up to date with their tasks, the three of them split up. There were a lot of officers still at the scene, so it was faster to individually approach everyone. It also gave Shuichi a few minutes to himself, which he didn’t realise he needed until he was sitting alone in the backyard and feeling much calmer.

Above him, a clear blue sky stretched as far as the eye could see. The sun was so bright that he couldn’t look at it for long, but it was nice to take a breather and just appreciate the world around him while he had the chance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all, I'd love to hear what you think so far! Do you find it interesting? Am I progressing things at a good pace? Also, are there any other untagged ships that you would like to see or characters you'd like Shuichi to interact with in the future? I really hope you're enjoying reading this as much as I enjoy writing it!

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos are much appreciated, I'd love to know if you're interested in reading more!


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